I have to preface this review with the fact that I am not a huge fan of food festivals. I wish I could see it in a more positive light, but they tend to leave much to be desired. Aki Matsuri falls into the same category.
The layout for the venue was odd. All of the merchandise vendors are located at the entrance while the food vendors were spread out along the perimeter. The ramen festival was located within the festival. None of the ramens were amazing and the sizes were smaller than if you were able to go to the restaurants. If that was not a big enough disappointment, okonomiyaki was a biggest disaster. The insides were gummy, the outsides could have used a little more time. With the pace that they needed to keep, the product definitely suffered.
Within a couple of hours, I was ready to head out. It was just nice to spend time with my friends.